Spring gage for armature assembly



April 17, 1 H. w. SCHAUFELBERGER 3,029,523

SPRING GAGE FOR ARMATURE ASSEMBLY Filed March 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A k 5i r WI 1 I In 2;. P I N" 36 6 I 63 I a!!! i 3 63 M, 62 h \"L5.. 11 I 1 m L492} I HMSEHHL/FELEEREER Jmi By W United tes Patent 3,029,523 Patented Apr; 17, 1962 3,ii29,523 SPRHNG GAGE FQ-R ARMATURE ASSEMBLY Henry W. Schaufelhergcr, Union, Ni, assignor to Western Electric @ompany, a corporation of New York Fiied Mare 9, 1959, Ser. No. 798,032 Ciaims. (62. 33-480) This invention relates to apparatus for gaging articles particularly the distances of portions of conductive resilient members from their supporting articles.

In the manufacture of numerous electical units, the inner working parts must be gaged to determine their efiiciency when in operation. An example is an armature of a relay which is supported by resilient legs, of a U-shaped spring member, which must be predetermined distances from their respective portions of the armature to function most efficiently.

An object of the invention is an apparatus for readily and efficiently gaging such articles or resilient members thereof.

In accordance with the object, the invention comprises a carriage, including a nest for the article, movable between a loading position and a gaging position and connected to an electrical circuit for a signalling device so that a contact in the circuit will be engaged to energize the device when the resilient member is located at a desired distance from its article.

More specifically, the contact is supported by a dielectric member under the control of a micrometer unit, which may be set at a gaging position and moved relative thereto in reverse directions toward and away from the article to close the circuit, if the portion being gaged is too close to the article or to open the circuit if the portion being gaged is too far from the article. If desired, the apparatus may be adjusted to set the contacts at one or the other limit and operate the apparatus accordingly. Also, particular means controlling the positions of one of the wires of the circuit and maintaining it taut prevents disturbance to the wire during movement of the carriage between its loading and gaging positions.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus, portions thereof being broken away;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus.

In the present instance, the article being gaged is an assembly of an armature i for a relay and a spring 11 secured thereon, the article being substantially U-shaped in general contour and the resilient spring or conductive member 11 being U-shaped in general contour and having the feet 12 of the parallel legs 14 fixed to the legs of the armature lit. The armature is fiat, of a given thickness shown at it] in FIG. 2 and of the U-shaped contour shown in FIG. 1. This contour may be traced from a dotted line representing an end idi of a leg N2 of the armature, continuing for the full length of the leg ldZ to a central portion 103, across the central portion to the other leg 104, which is parallel with the leg 192, and then moving along the leg 1% to the end 165 (not shown in FIG. 1, but shown in FIG. 2) which is in alignment with the end 101. The feet 12. of the resilient member 11 are secured by rivets 129 (only one being shown) to the legs 162 and 104 of the armature it) short of the ends 1G1 and 105 there-of. If the armature it is to function most efliciently when mounted in its relay, the leg portions 14 must be located a predetermined distance from the adjacent legs of the armature, as shown in FIG. 2.

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The apparatus includes a carriage 15 supported in guides 16 for movement between a loading position, shown in broken lines, against a stop 17 (FIG. 1) and a gaging position, shown in solid lines, against a stop 18, FIG. 2. The title loading position is descriptive of the position of the carriage 15 when an article or armature lit is to be loaded thereon, after one which has been gaged is removed. The title gaging position is descriptive of the position of the carriage 15 when the article or armature is to be gaged. The carriage is provided with a nest 19 and a locating member 29 to receive the article and locate it at a known position and in a given plane on the carriage. Actually the article rests on an upper surface 19% of the carriage on which the nest 19 and the locating member 2i? are mounted. The U-shaped article 10 straddles the nests and engages side surfaces 192 and 194 and an end surface 1% to be engaged respectively by the legs 192 and 1M and the central portion 103, when assisted by the locating member 2d to locate and maintain the article in a known position on the carriage. A terminal 22 mounted on the carriage 15 has one end of an insulated conductor 23 secured thereto. The conductor 23, particularly the end connected to the terminal 22 and electrically including the carriage 15, constitutes one end of a normally open circuit. The conductor 23 extends rearwardly about grooved rollers 25, 26, and 27, and around stationary posts 28 and 29 to a terminal 34 where it is secured to a source of electrical energy such as a battery 31. The grooved roller 25 is disposed at a fixed position to align the conductor 23 with its terminal 22 whereas the grooved rollers 26 and 27 are mounted on opposing ends of a rocking arm 32 which is rotatably mounted at 33 and normally urged counterclockwise by a spring 34. Another terminal 36 of the battery 31 has insulated conductors 37 and 33 leading to signalling units or lamps 39 and 40.

The lamps 39 and 4d are mounted in a panel 41 so that they may be viewed by the operator. Insulated conductors 42 and 43 leading from the lamps 39 and extend forwardly in apertures 44 of a frame #5 which is mounted on a base 46. Openings 47 in the frame receive somewhat coiled portions of the adjacent ends of the insulated conductors 42 and 43 which are connected electrically to terminals 43, only one of which is shown. The terminals 48 are secured at 49 to dielectric supports 59 which are held for vertical movement only by guide pins 51. The guide pins 51 are fixedly mounted on the frame 45 and enter aperatures 52. of the dielectric members 50. Springs 53 disposed concentric with the pins 51 normally urge the dielectric members 5% upwardly. A contact 54 supported by each dielectric member is secured to the terminal 48 in each instance. Each terminal extends in somewhat of a Zig-zag path from its connection with its conductor 42-43 until it is connected electrically to its contact 54.

Each dielectric member 50 with its contact 54 is provided with a measuring unit or micrometer 57 having the conventional rotatable outer portions 53, central or intermediate portions 59 and inner movable portions 60. The intermediate portions are mounted in apertures 61 of brackets 52 which are mounted at 63 on the frame 45.

Operation Before the apparatus is ready for operation, the micrometers are set to locate their contacts 5 at known positions which are the predetermined positions for the portions of the resilient members or legs 14 from the article 10. When this has been accomplished, it is known that, when the article is placed in the nest of the carriage while the carriage is in the loading position and moved to the gaging position, the article will be located in a plane a known distance beneath the contacts 54. In most instances, the

portions of the resilient members being gaged will be satisfactorily located within given limits of preferred locations. With the contacts 54 located to be engaged by the portions of the resilient member, if in their preferred locations, the two circuit for the two lamps 39 and 49 will be closed upon movement of the carriage into the gaging position. If both lamps are energized upon movement of the carriage into gaging position, the operator may adjust the micrometers 57 individually or simultaneously until their respective signalling units are de-energized, that is until their respective contacts 54 move out of electrical contact with the portions they are gaging. As soon as this occurs in each instance, the micrometer for each contact indicates the distance its respective spring portion is away from the article beyond the preferred location. If this distance is within the predetermined limit, the resilient portions are known to be approved. However, if they should be beyond the preferred limit, the portions may be adjusted, by suitable tools such as long nose pliers, in the apparatus until the portions are brought within the desired limits.

If the signalling units should not be energized after movement of the article with the carriage into the gaging position, the micrometers may be actuated to move the contacts 54 downwardly until the circuits for the signalling units are closed, at which time the micrometers will indicate whether or not the locations of the portions being gaged are within the desired limits. If either portion should be beyond the desired limits, that is, closer to the article than desired, it is known what distance the member should be moved away from the article to place it in the preferred location. This may be done after movement of the contact away from the member and then moving the contact back for a further gaging operation after the adjustment has been made. During all of the movements of the carriage between its loading and gaging positions, the insulated conductor 23 is held taut while the spring actuated arm 32 with the grooved rollers 26 and 27 remove any slack in the conductor.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for gaging the distance of a portion of a conductive resilient member from its supporting conductive article comprising a carriage having a nest for the article, means to support the carriage for movement between a loading position where the article is placed in the nest and a gaging position where the portion of the resilient member is to be gaged, a normally open circuit supplied with electrical energy and including a signalling unit energizable when the circuit is closed, one open end of the circuit being electrically connected to the carriage to include therein the article and the resilient member, and a contact connected to the other open end of the circuit and mounted at a given position relative to the carriage in the gaging position to cause closing of the circuit if the portion of the resilient member is a given distance from the article.

2. An apparatus for gaging according to claim 1 in which a dielectric support for the contact is disposed in the gaging position and movable toward and away from the resilient member, a supporting bracket fixedly mounted adjacent the dielectric support, and a micrometer having outer, intermediate and inner portions disposed in alignment with the dielectric member with the intermediate portion secured to the bracket a known distance from the dielectric support so that the contact may be set at a predetermined gaging location to gage the portion of the resilient member and may also cause movement of the contact toward and away from the gaging location to respectively close and open the circuit and indicate the distance the portion of the resilient memher is away from the predetermined location.

3. An apparatus for gaging according to claim 1 in which the portion of the circuit extending to and electrically connected to the carriage is an insulated conductor, a rotatable arm, a pivot for rotatably supporting the arm mounted at a fixed position spaced from the carriage, guides on the arm for the insulated conductor leading from the carriage, and means urging rotation of the arm during movement of the carriage to hold the conductor taut.

4. An apparatus for gaging according to claim 1 in which the portion of the circuit extending to and electrically connected to the carriage is an insulated conductor secured at one portion spaced from the carriage and having sufiicient slack therein for movement of the carriage to the loading position, an elongate arm, grooved rollers for the conductor mounted adjacent ends of the arm, a fixed position rotatable support for the arm disposed intermediate the ends thereof, and resilient means operatively connected to the arm permitting rotation of the arm in one direction during movement of the carriage to the loading position and causing rotation of the arm in the opposite direction during movement of the carriage to the gaging position to maintain the conductor taut.

5. An apparatus for gaging the distance of spaced portions of a conductive resilient member from its supporting conductive article comprising a carriage having a nest for the article, means to support the carriage for movement between a loading position where the article is placed in the nest and a gaging position where the portions of the resilient member are to be gaged, normally open circuits supplied with electrical energy and including in each a signalling unit energizable when its circuit is closed, one open end of each circuit being electrically connected to the carriage to include therein the article and the portions of the resilient member, and contacts connected to the other open ends of their circuits and mounted at given positions relative to the carriage in the gaging position to cause closing of their circuits and energization of their signalling units if the portions of the resilient member are given distances from the article.

6. An apparatus for gaging according to claim 5 in which a measuring means is independently actuable for each contact to measure the distance its respective portion of the member varies from the given distance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,833,050 Byrd May 6, 1958 

